CSO DOWN SOUTH CONCERT SERIES
CSO DOWN SOUTH: SIMPLY STRINGS
WHEN: Thursday 9 May 2024
TIMES: Concert 6-7 pm/Bar open from 5pm.
TICKETS: $38 / $32
BOOKINGS: Please click here to book
CSO DOWN SOUTH welcomes the change of season, presenting Grieg’s exuberant yet icy String Quartet No. 1 in G minor and Percy Grainger’s rhythmically diverse Irish dance, Molly on the Shore, at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre this May.
Transitioning from the depths of the romantic era to the mid-twentieth century, this program harmoniously blends Grieg’s daring Norwegian folk melodies with the playful and picturesque beauty held within Grainger’s stylistically Anglo-Australian works.
The Canberra Symphony Orchestra’s String Quartet promises to infuse these classic works with renewed vitality, offering an evening of pure delight suitable for audiences of all ages.
6 – 7pm, Thursday 9 May. Bar from 5pm. $38/32. Bookings required.
CSO String Quartet
Grieg String Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op.27
Grainger Molly on the Shore
CSO DOWN SOUTH: BRILLIANT BRASS
WHEN: Thursday 5 September 2024
TIMES: Concert 6-7 pm/Bar open from 5pm.
TICKETS: $38 / $32
BOOKINGS: Please click here to book
CSO DOWN SOUTH returns to Tuggeranong Arts Centre with this selection of brilliant brass treasures.
Embark on this musical journey with as the Canberra Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet triumphantly presents the Overture from Mozart’s inimitable and timeless masterpiece, The Magic Flute.
We then sidestep into the eclectic work of English composer Sir Malcolm Arnold, whose vibrant harmonies and dynamic rhythms transport us to new heights, before gliding here for a moment longer with Koetsier’s Brass Quintet.
The CSO Brass Quintet will dive into Bach’s intricate and expressive Fugue in G minor, before finishing on the modern classic by Leonard Cohen, ‘Hallelujah’. This soul-stirring finale is sure to provide an unforgettable musical experience.
6 – 7pm, Thursday 5 September. Bar from 5pm. $38/32. Bookings required.
CSO Brass Quintet
Mozart Overture from the Magic Flute
Arnold Quintet for Brass
Koetsier Brass Quintet
Bach Fugue in G minor
Cohen Hallelujah
Encore
CSO DOWN SOUTH: HOMAGE TO HERITAGE
WHEN: Thursday 31 October 2024
TIMES: Concert 6-7 pm/Bar open from 5pm.
TICKETS: $38 / $32
BOOKINGS: Please click here to book
CSO DOWN SOUTH closes its 2024 chamber series with a presentation piano works which pays homage to heritage, exploring familial connections in works by Dvorak, Suk and Mendelssohn.
Be enchanted by Elena Kats-Chernin’s Calliope Dreaming, a modern Australian masterpiece featuring evocative rhythms and mesmerising melodies, allowing your imagination to take flight.
Experience the warmth and nostalgia of Dvorak’s Songs my Mother Told Me, a journey through the heart of Czech folk traditions, full of old-world rustic charm and heartfelt emotion.
We end with the sublime and hauntingly beautiful Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op.49 by Mendelssohn, a work full of timeless elegance and enchantment, showcasing the precision of Canberra Symphony Orchestra’s Piano Trio.
6 – 7pm, Thursday 31 October. Bar from 5pm. $38/32. Bookings required.
CSO Piano Trio
Kats Chernin Calliope Dreaming
Dvorak Songs my Mother Told Me
Mendelssohn Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op.49
This series has been made possible through an ongoing collaboration with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra
Previous concerts in the series:
CSO DOWN SOUTH: RADIANCE
WHEN: Thursday 2 November, 2023
TIMES: Bar open from 5 pm. Concert 6 – 7 pm
TICKETS: $35 full / $25 student / $20 student
BOOKINGS: Please click here to book.
Ben Hoadley Bassoon
Alan Vivian Clarinet
Edward Neeman Piano
Enjoy the sounds of the CSO performing a beautiful night of music including Beethoven Trio in B-flat major for clarinet, bassoon and piano, an original composition by CSO Principal Bassoon Ben Hoadley – Four Preludes (for clarinet , bassoon and piano) and a solo work from Edward Neeman.
- Beethoven Trio in B-flat major for clarinet, bassoon and piano
- Ben Hoadley – Four Preludes for clarinet , bassoon and piano
- JS Bach (arr. Ignaz Friedman) – “Wachet auf, ruf uns die Stimme”, BWV 140 ; Piano Edward Neeman
- Miriam Hyde – Rhapsody No. 1 ; Piano Edward Neeman
Trio images: Edward Neeman, Alan Vivian, Ben Hoadley (by Milena Parobczy)
CSO DOWN SOUTH: TWILIGHT
WHEN: Thursday 31 August, 2023
TIMES: Bar open from 5 pm. Concert 6 – 7 pm
TICKETS: $20 child / $25 student / $35 full
BOOKINGS: Please click here to book.
DETAILS
Kirsten Williams Violin, Pip Thompson Violin, Lucy Carrigy-Ryan Viola, Samuel Payne Cello, Kyle Ramsay-Daniel Double bass.
The CSO Chamber Ensemble envelops Tuggeranong Arts Centre in beautiful night music from two beloved Romantic composers. The atmosphere is set with the B major Nocturne from Dvořák’s opus 40, an unhurried, meditative work in a single movement. This piece is infused with a deep sense of calm and serenity, even as it ebbs and flows. Then, the Ensemble presents Borodin’s beloved Second String Quartet, composed in D major for his wife, Ekaterina Protopova. This charming, elegant work builds to the iconic Notturno third movement, soaring with deeply felt lyricism.
Twilight images: Kirsten Williams (by Martin Ollman), Pip Thompson (by Martin Ollman), Samuel Payne (by Amanda Thorson)
CSO DOWN SOUTH: NIGHT & DAY
Kirsten Williams Violin, Patrick Suthers Cello, Edward Neeman Piano,
Handel / Halvorsen Passacaglia for Violin and Cello & Dvořák Piano Trio No. 2 in G minor, op. 26
WHEN: Thursday 25 May, 2023. Bar open from 5pm, concert from 6pm – 7pm.
TICKETS: $20 child / $25 student / $30 concession / $35 full
BOOKINGS: Please click here to book.
Night & Day images: Kirsten Williams (by Martin Ollman), Patrick Suthers (by Martin Ollman), Edward Neeman
DETAILS
The CSO Chamber Ensemble returns to Tuggeranong Arts Centre with an uplifting program for violin, cello and piano. The concert opens with a well-loved Passacaglia, attributed to both Handel and Halvorsen. The term passacaglia originally described an energetic Spanish street dance; this virtuosic work for violin and cello moves through a number of inventive variations on the core theme.
Pianist Edward Neeman then joins Kirsten Williams and Patrick Suthers for Dvorak’s stirring Second Piano Trio. Arising from a painful season in the composer’s life, this powerful piece of music plumbs great emotional depths. It’s also a work of striking contrasts, opening with a bold Allegro before moving through a sombre largo movement and back to a dancing scherzo. The fourth and final movement is elegantly crafted, exultant and ultimately uplifting.
A Twilight Soiree with Kirsten Williams and Edward Neeman
WHEN: Thursday 9 March, 6:00pm – 7:00pm
WHERE: Theatre, Tuggeranong Arts Centre
TICKTS: $35 Standard, $30 concession and $25 Student
BOOKINGS: Please click here to book
CSO Goes South: A Twilight Soiree with Kirsten Williams and Edward Neeman offers a French inspired program featuring: Debussy Sonata in G minor for Violin and Piano, Fauré Violin Sonata No. 1 in A major, op. 13. and Amy Beach Ballade, op. 6.
‘There is no theory,’ Debussy famously declared. ‘Pleasure is the law!’
While Debussy strenuously rejected the association, some have drawn parallels between his music and the French Impressionist painters. The Impressionists were more concerned with the essence of a thing than its substance; this program explores that shimmering, transparent quality that we often associate with nostalgia and fond remembering.
From the opening bars, Debussy’s virtuosic G minor violin sonata reveals its depth of character. Dancing between light and shadow, this melancholic work is punctuated by bursts of sunny optimism and exuberance.
One of the leading keyboardists of his time, Gabriel Fauré premiered his First Violin Sonata with violinist Paul Viardot, to whom it was dedicated – this perhaps explains the unusually demanding and virtuosic piano part. Vibrant, charming and lively, this gloriously lush work of Romantic French music showcases the composer’s distinct and original voice.
The program also includes the work of American composer and pianist Amy Beach. The solo piano work Ballade Op.6 (1894) was written as an elaboration of a song she had previously composed, My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose. It is characterised with passionate and powerful harmonies which bring vibrant colour to her unique melodic expression.
www.neemanpianoduo.com
Additional concerts in the series include: CSO Goes South: Piano Trio featuring Kirsten Williams (Violin), Patrick Suthers (Cello) and Edward Neeman (Piano) on Thursday 25 May (book here), and CSO Goes South: A String Quartet with Kirsten Williams (Violin), Doreen Cumming (Violin), Tor Fromyhr (Viola) and Sam Payne (Cello) on Thursday August 31, 2023 (book here). More information will be available soon.